Family MNIACEAE

Common name

MENZIES' TREE MOSS
LEUCOLEPIS UMBRELLA MOSS
PALM TREE MOSS

Microhabitat

This moss forms small colonies on soil, rotting logs, tree bases, and even as epiphytes in some trees. On these surfaces this moss looks like little green trees or palm trees. When this species grows in clumps it looks like a miniature forest. This species grows mainly on soil along Tatlow trail, but has been reported as an epiphyte of trees, particularly on maple and alder.

Distribution

Leucolepis acanthoneuron is restricted to western North America, ranging from southeastern Alaska to central California and east to Idaho.

Small colonies of the palm tree with sporophytes
Photo Credit: Yan Zhuang

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Morphology

The most distinctive characteristic of this moss is its resemblance to a small tree or palm tree 4-8 cm tall. This moss has a main stem surrounded by very light green or white, triangular leaves. If you find a male plant, the rosette of leaves around the sex organs located at the top of the plant look distinctive from the rest of the leaves. In female plants, a nodding sporangium is commonly situated at the apex of the plant.

Key identifying features

If you find a moss in the forest that looks like a small tree, you have a high probability that it is L. acanthoneuron. There are no other species of moss with this general appearance, at least in British Columbia. A similar species, called Climacium dendroides, has a similar growth habit; however, L. acanthoneuron does not have creeping stems like C. dendroides. Also, the leaves of L. acanthoneuron are triangle-shaped while in C. dendroides they are heart-shaped. Finally, if you find a female plant, the sporangia of L. acanthoneuron are nodding, unlike the erect sporangia of C. dendroides.

Interesting notes

The specific epithet, acanthoneuron, means spiny nerve, and is named after the teeth located on the back of the midrib. The genus name Leucolepis means white scales, and refers to the small white leaves that grow along the main stem. Many genera contain more than one species, but in this case, Leucolepis only has one species (monospecific) and is an endemic genus of North America. This species was called L. menziesii (Hook.) Steere in the past.

Selected References

Pojar, J., and MacKinnon, A. 2004. Plants of Coastal British Columbia, including Oregon, Washington and Alaska (revised edition). Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, Canada.

Schofield, W.B. 1992. Some common mosses of British Columbia, 2nd ed. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, Canada.

Schofield, W.B. 2004. Endemic genera of bryophytes of North America (north of Mexico). Preslia, Praha 76: 255–277.

Steere W., Anderson, L.E., and Bryan, V.S. 1954. Chromosome studies in Californian mosses. Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 20: 1–75.

By Isidro Ojeda

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